Parrish, Richard [Joshua Rabb series #1], (The Dividing Line) [hc, Dutton Adult, 1993] 978-0525935612 [mass mkt pb, Onyx, 1994] 978-0451404305 [Shortly after arriving in Tucson, Rabb is caught in a crossfire between greedy local politicians and the Papago Indians. He defends a Native American man accused of the brutal rape and murder of three children and a nun, uncovering a deep-seated racist conspiracy that threatens his new life.]
United States · Fiction author
Richard Parrish
Richard Parrish (1946–2025, born in Decatur, Illinois, a veteran criminal defense lawyer in Tucson, Arizona. His 5-volume Joshua Rabb Mystery series is set in post-WWII Tucson. Brooklyn-born and Jewish, Rabb served as a GI in WW2, losing his left arm and sustaining other injuries at the Battle of the Bulge. He moved to Tucson in 1946. His “outsider” status as a Jew in a predominantly “lily-white” community mirrors the struggles of the Native American clients he represents for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Rabb’s Jewishness serves as a bridge to other marginalized groups. By facing anti-Semitism and “racist bad old boys” in Arizona, he develops a unique empathy for the Papago Indians, often drawing parallels between their treatment and the persecution of Jews. The series frequently references the Holocaust. Rabb’s legal battles are often framed as a struggle for “the Truth” (a word appearing in three of the five titles), reflecting a relentless pursuit of justice.
Parrish’s first novel, Our Choice of Gods hc, Carol Pub Group, 1989) 978-1559720021 - deals extensively with the Israeli-Arab conflict and survivors of the Treblinka death camp. A holocaust survivor and a Nuremberg War Crimes prosecutor fall in love, join the Israeli war for independence, and save an Arab woman from a murderous Jewish soldier. The books in the Joshua Rabb series include:
Parrish, Richard [Joshua Rabb series #2], (Versions of the Truth) [hc, Dutton Adult, 1994] 978-0525936527 [mass mkt pb, Onyx, 1994] 978-0451405234 [A deadly cholera outbreak on the Papago reservation forces Rabb to oversee the awarding of a multimillion-dollar sewer system contract. This assignment thrusts him into a world of corporate greed and corruption as two ruthless rivals battle for the contract. Amidst the legal maneuvering, Rabb finds himself defending an amoral client linked to “greasy evidence” while navigating the advances of a rival’s niece.]
Parrish, Richard [Joshua Rabb series #3], (Nothing But the Truth) [hc, Dutton Adult, 1995] 978-0525938521 [mass mkt pb, Onyx, 1996] 978-0451405388 [Approached by organized crime brain Meyer Lansky, attorney Rabb attempts to discover the link between recent mafia activities and the murders of two Chassidic Jews, exploring the diverse and sometimes conflicting expressions of Jewish identity during that era.]
Parrish, Richard [Joshua Rabb series #4], (Wind and Lies) [mass mkt pb, Onyx, 1997] 978-0451405395 [When his long-time friend is wrongly accused of a gruesome murder on Arizona’s Papago Indian reservation, attorney Joshua Rabb suspects a renegade clan is responsible, but proving it could get him killed.]
Parrish, Richard [Joshua Rabb series #5], (Defending the Truth) [pb, Onyx, 1998] 978-0451408334 [Set in 1951, the final installment finds Rabb at the center of the McCarthy era’s national hysteria. He takes on the defense of a Tucson professor accused of “traitorous activities,” standing against a tide of public opinion and political vengeance. As patriotism is used as a cover for greed and treachery, Rabb faces his most formidable courtroom challenge while trying to protect his family from the fallout of the Red Scare.] [Google/AI]